Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
SITE DESCRIPTION - NNSA FY2005 Congressional Budget Request (610-616)
History
LANL is a multi-program laboratory, supporting research predominantly
in national security. The laboratory also supports environmental restoration,
waste management, general science programs, homeland security, and work
for others. The Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs is both the
Cognizant Secretarial Officer, having line-management accountability for
LANL, and the Lead Program Secretarial Officer, responsible for landlord
activities and overall site integration and operations.
The Record of Decision for a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement
(SWEIS) for the continued operation of LANL was published September 20,
1999. The decision allows for expanded operations, consistent with the
Record of Decision for the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), issued December 19, 1996, including
implementation of pit manufacturing, at the level of twenty pits per year,
and expansion of the low-level radioactive waste disposal facility.
The Record of Decision, administered by Department of Energy (DOE) at
Los Alamos, for the conveyance and transfer of land tracts to Los Alamos
County and to the Department of Interior, in trust for the Pueblo of San
Ildefonso, was published March 2000. From a total of 4,120 acres of land
to be conveyed or transferred under PL 105-119, the DOE at Los Alamos
has conveyed to the County of Los Alamos or transferred to the Department
of the Interior, in trust for the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, 2,210 acres
of land. The end of FY 2004 will see a transfer of another 720 acres,
and 110 acres will be transferred in FY 2005. At this point, the project
will be 75% complete.
Management
University of California. The current contract will be competed in September
2005.
WEAPONS ACTIVITIES
Directed Stockpile Work (DSW)
Los Alamos will support the B61 Life Extension Program (LEP) by working
on the Canned Subassembly (CSA) of the physics package and associated
seals, foams, pads and cabling. Los Alamos will support the W76 LEP, which
is in Phase 6.3 by completing engineering development of W76-1 Nuclear
Explosive Package and Gas Transfer System; in FY 2005, Los Alamos will
continue to assist in the transfer of information and Acorn development
as outlined in the tri-laboratory agreement. LANL activities support multiple
systems. In this area, LANL will warrantee the safety and surety on our
nuclear weapons, execute hydrotesting, ensure weapons archiving, perform
studies of the nuclear weapons stockpile, perform models-based engineering
and manufacturing, and provide the core competencies and capabilities
for the gas transfer systems.
Science Campaign
Within the Primary Assessment Technology activity, one of LANL’s principal
goals is the development and application of analysis techniques, including
Quantitative Margins and Uncertainties (QMU), that supports baseline model
improvement. LANL will support Dynamic Materials Properties ($28M in FY
2005) largely through use of its specific experimental capabilities to
provide data for, and tests of, predictive models of material properties
and behavior. The goal in Advanced Radiography ($29M in FY 2005) is to
assess and develop the capability to deduce, from radiography, the integral
performance of a nuclear weapon during the primary implosion phase in
order to assure the continuing reliability and safety of the stockpile.
This will be accomplished by translating stockpile certification requirements
into quantitative time-dependent, three-dimensional radiographic requirements,
assessing current and future technologies, and developing and integrating
the required capabilities for quantitative linkage to weapons performance.
This area also provides for the initial optimization of the Dual-Axis
Radiographic Hydrotest (DARHT) second axis and the continued evolution
of DARHT over the next decade. LANL will continue to advance proton radiography
capabilities and apply them to stockpile problems using the pRAD facility
at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE).
Within Secondary Assessment Technology LANL ($20M in FY 2005) will identify
the key elements of the functional sequence of events leading to secondary
explosion, and work to resolve key issues in each element to the accuracy
consistent with the overall allowable uncertainty for the weapon systems
in the stockpile.
Engineering Campaign
This includes efforts to develop improved surety options, such as a new
level of use-control capabilities that may be considered for incorporation
in scheduled stockpile refurbishments. In addition, LANL has established
science-based engineering methods to increase confidence in weapons systems
through validated simulation models and high-fidelity experimental tests.
Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield (ICF) Campaign
The LANL ICF effort ($32M in FY 2005) provides quantitative experimental
data and physical underpinning needed for validation of advanced modeling
required in nuclear weapons certification. We participate in the pursuit
of laboratory ignition by utilizing unique Los Alamos scientific and technological
capabilities. This area includes the work necessary to establish the fundamental
science and technology base to produce National Ignition Facility (NIF)-specification
ignition capsules.
Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Campaign
Los Alamos will complete two-dimensional modern baselines for all systems
in the stockpile during FY 2005 and will use those baselines in DSW and
in making predictions for DynEx experiments, provide the computational
tools and infrastructure used in analysis resources, improved software
quality will provide data that will be used to validate ASCI models and
codes.
Pit Manufacturing and Certification Campaign
The strategy of the campaign includes reestablishment of the technical
capability to manufacture war reserve (WR) pits, the establishment of
a manufacturing capacity required to support the nuclear weapons stockpile,
and the ability to certify newly manufactured pits for entry into the
stockpile without the use of nuclear testing. The near-term activity is
focused on W88 pit manufacturing and certification, and long-term activities
include demonstrating the capability to manufacture all pits in the enduring
stockpile as well as plan for long term pit manufacturing capacity.
Readiness Campaign
At Los Alamos, two Readiness activities are performed: Advanced Design
and Production Technologies (ADAPT) and Nonnuclear Readiness. Los Alamos’s
ADAPT activities ($7M in FY 2005) reflect both design and production technology
development--both major activities at Los Alamos. The scope of work includes
all LANL production activities, plus supporting capabilities such as secure
networking and certain technical business practices. Activities are principally
organized according to the product(s) they are intended to support (e.g.,
Detonators, Tritium/Neutron Target Tube Loading, Beryllium Components,
Pits, Mock Pits, and Experimental Hardware), as well as development of
Models-Based Engineering tools and capabilities and a manufacturing capability
for neutron tube target loading. Los Alamos also has a significant Non-nuclear
production activity in developing capabilities for Los Alamos non-nuclear
production as well as other plants. Scope includes deployment of processes,
capabilities, and infrastructure required to meet directive schedule requirements
for production and surveillance of non-nuclear components. Activities
at LANL support detonator manufacturing and surveillance, neutron tube
target loading, surveillance, and portions of the beryllium technology
mission.
Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities (RTBF)
The RTBF activities include operating and maintaining Defense Programs-owned
facilities in “warm standby” mode, including the Engineering, Tritium,
Dynamic Experimentation, LANSCE, Waste Management, Nuclear Materials Technology
[e.g., TA-55 & Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR)], Beryllium Technology,
and Nuclear Materials Storage and Critical Experiments Facility (e.g.,
TA-18). Warm standby work scope includes conventional facility management,
infrastructure and utilities, and operation & maintenance of special equipment,
($319M in FY 2005).
Construction ($77M in FY 2005) projects currently in conceptual design
at LANL include the TA-18 relocation project and CMR Replacement project.
Design will be initiated on the Dynamic Experimentation High Explosives
Characterization project in FY 2005.
Facilities and Infrastructure Recapitalization Program
The Facilities and Infrastructure Recapitalization Program (FIRP) is funding
a balanced program of deferred maintenance reduction and an aggressive
facility disposition program to eliminate excess facilities. FIRP funded
projects have provided both direct and indirect support to the Stockpile
Stewardship Program by providing quality work space that promotes worker
productivity, professional interaction and retention and recruitment of
the personnel needed to carry out the Laboratory’s this mission. In addition,
FIRP funded projects have supported upgrades and recapitalization of the
infrastructure in core mission facilities. This includes the modernization
of 50-year old laboratories, replacement of mechanical equipment and the
repair of electrical systems. The Power Grid Infrastructure System line
item construction project will be initiated in FY 2005 ($10M) to build
a third power line and eliminate the single point of failure on site.
FIRP also has initiated the complex-wide Roof Asset Management Program
(RAMP) to establish and implement a corporate approach for the management
of NNSA’s roofing assets, which is expected to result in improved cost
efficiencies, improved quality of life extension of NNSA’s roofing assets,
consistent approach and common standards for optimal roofing repairs and
replacement, and additional deferred maintenance reduction.
Safeguards and Security
Nuclear Materials Safeguards and Security Upgrades, Phase I, is underway
at LANL. Two new security line item construction projects are proposed
for design or design-build in FY 2005: Nuclear Materials Safeguards and
Security Upgrades, Phase II ($10M in FY 2005) and the Security Perimeter
Project ($20M in FY 2005). The laboratory has developed a Design Basis
Threat (DBT) Implementation Plan to address new DBT protection requirements.
DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION
Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development
LANL provides the U.S. Government with improved analytic tools and sensors to discriminate
earthquakes and industrial activities from banned nuclear explosions. LANL begins delivering next
generation of satellite based electromagnetic pulse sensors and continues developing next generation
radiation sensors for nuclear explosion monitoring systems. The laboratory will develop expert
unattended methods and handheld radiation detection systems to support monitoring operations for
compliance to future nonproliferation policies. LANL will continue developing innovative algorithms
and specialized processors to process voluminous quantities of remote sensing data into the specific
information required by decision makers. The world-class radiometric calibration facility and expertise
developed at LANL, as part of the multi-spectral thermal imaging small satellite program, will be used in
ongoing data analysis from the satellite which is now in orbit as well as for other spectral programs. The
lab develops analysis capability from the Fast On-Orbit Recording of Transient Events (FORTE) satellite
data to aid in Radio Frequency sensor development.
Fissile Materials Disposition
LANL is a multi-program lead laboratory for the development of U.S. weapons pit disassembly and
conversion technology. The Automated Recovery and Integrated Extraction System (ARIES) demonstration system, located at LANL, serves as the prototype demonstration project for the
production-scale facility. The lab also provides technical services, independent design review,
independent assessment of the safety basis for the Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility , as well as
support for technical aspects associated with monitoring and inspection activities. LANL also provides
support to efforts associated with the plutonium conversion line in Russia.
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